Typus melancholicus from tellenbach up to the present day: a review about the premorbid personality vulnerable to melancholia

Abstract

The concept of Typus Melancholicus (TM) was shaped by Tellenbach to describe the premorbid and intermorbid personality vulnerable to endogenous depression. The first part of this paper aims to point out the basic principles of Tellenbach’s theory – the method, the concept of endon, of rhythmic, of situation, of rimanence, of includence and of despair. Then, we present a systematic description of the premorbid personality features - orderliness, conscientiousness, hyper/hetereonomia and intolerance of ambiguity. Furthermore, we present two clinical cases, one from Tellenbach and the other from our clinical practice to underline the typical way which links the premorbid condition to melancholia. Also, we propose a review of the scientific literature from Tellenbach’s work to the present day. Finally, we discuss the clinical importance of the TM construct.